But months since his arrival on Guam, his American dream turned into a nightmare after being stiffed by his employer, who owes him roughly $9,500 in back pay. He is now stranded on island, trying to get by while hoping and waiting to get paid.
On Tuesday morning, Feng Zhuan Gu sat by the road along Route 16, holding a pair of placards that read “Boss owes me salary long time” and “I want to get money [and] go home early.”
His employer advised him to return to China and wait there for his overdue pay.
Swindled
Feng Zhuan Gu told Variety that a similar situation happened to a close friend and former coworker who was ordered to wait for payment in China. However, when the employee contacted his employer later, his demand for his back pay was denied. The employer refused to acknowledge his outstanding obligation to the former employee.
On May 19, Thomas A. Morrison, executive director of the Contractors License Board, issued a press release stating that Hua Sheng International Group’s contracting license had been suspended.
The board also suspended Hua Sheng’s management employee Steven Wang for “exhibiting unethical behavior by improperly submitting fabricated documents in support of their notification of departures for their employees and neglecting to pay civil penalties amounting to $63,000 assessed by the Department of Labor.”
Suspended
Morrison told the Variety that the board spent more than a year working on Hua Sheng’s case.
While saying he is not at liberty to discuss details of the case, Morrison revealed that there is an ongoing investigation into the company’s labor practices.
Morrison said there are “two parts” to the issue. First, the licensing board is trying to figure out what legal action to take. Second, the labor department is trying to determine what to do with the H-2 workers gypped by their employers.
Federal labor investigator Patrick Candoleta said their office on Guam will gather information and screen the issues of any workers in need of assistance who are willing to call or visit the headquarters.
Feng Zhuan Gu’s H-2 visa is valid until this October, but his employer threatened to turn him to the Guam Police Department or the immigration office if he attempted to file a complaint with the labor department.
Feng Zhuan Gu refuses to go back home empty handed knowing that he will never get paid if he agrees to return to China.
